President Joe Biden held a meeting with the representative of the United States Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D – NY) and other liberal lawmakers Monday, as disagreements within the Democratic Party over its support for Israel’s response to the Hamas attack continue to escalate.
What happened: President Biden had a meeting with Ocasio-Cortez, Sen., on Tuesday. Bernie Sanders (IV.T.) e Ed Markey (D – Mass.) all of whom have openly criticized the Israeli Prime Minister That of Benjamin Netanyahu Bombing campaign on Gaza, Reuters reported. The meeting came after Biden returned from an Earth Day event in Virginia.
These lawmakers have already expressed their opposition to Israel’s policies, with Ocasio-Cortez likening the humanitarian situation in Gaza to “a genocide in progress.” Despite these disagreements, Ocasio-Cortez supported Biden’s re-election, stressing the need to safeguard democracy both at home and abroad.
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Because matter: This meeting comes as Biden’s support for Israel’s response to the October 7 Hamas attack has created divisions within the Democratic Party, potentially influencing Biden’s voter base ahead of November’s presidential election. The White House and lawmakers did not disclose the topics discussed during the meeting.
The Biden administration has maintained its support for Israel, increasingly emphasizing the Palestinian humanitarian crisis. This follows the Israeli military offensive in response to the Hamas attack which, as reported by the Gaza Health Ministry, led to the deaths of 34,000 Palestinians.
The meeting also comes in the wake of the resignation of Major General Aharon Haliva, head of Israel’s military intelligence, who took responsibility for the intelligence failures that led to the devastating Hamas-led attack on Israel in 2023.
In early April, an Israeli airstrike in Gaza reportedly killed three sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, further escalating the conflict.
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